FOI/19/00103 · FOI · released
Marine Scotland’s use of surveillance aircraft, drones and inflatable boats: FOI release
Information requested
You asked for information on “how many occasions in each year since its inception has Marine Scotland used (a) surveillance aircraft (b) unmanned aerial vehicles or drones and (c) a rigid hulled inflatable boat for marine compliance purposes”.
Response
I enclose a copy of all of the information you requested, at annex A.
ANNEX A
Surveillance Aircraft
YEAR FLIGHT DAYS 2009 189 2010 327 2011 295 2012 293 2013 223 2014 178 2015 166 2016 208 2017 173 2018 183
Comment: As a result of improved risk based tasking of assets, it has not been necessary to maintain the numbers of surveillance flights.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs or “drones”)
YEAR FLIGHTS 2015 14 2016 4 2017 4
Comment: drones were used regularly in response to a particular fishery issue which no longer requires their use.
Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) on independent patrol
YEAR PATROLS 2014 37 2015 38 2016 39 2017 42 2018 49
Comment: all boardings of fishing vessels which are not at the quayside will involve RHIBs. However, these numbers above reflect independent RHIB patrols only. These are patrols which have launched out from land themselves, so do not include RHIB launches from a Marine Protection Vessel (MPV) to transfer boarding officers to a fishing vessel.
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Contact Please quote the FOI reference Central Enquiry Unit Email: ceu@gov.scot Phone: 0300 244 4000 The Scottish Government St Andrews House Regent Road Edinburgh EH1 3DG
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